Hop-drying box.



No. 687,328. Patentedl Nov. 2, mol.

J. KQMUUNT.

HoP nnvma Box.

(Application led Apr. 20, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT EETCE.

JOHN K. MOUNT, OF SILVERTON, OREGON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO AROHIE G. WOLFARD, OF SILVERTON, OREGON.

HOP-DRYING BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 687,328, dated November 26, 1901.

Application filed April 20, 1901.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN K. MOUNT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Silverton, in the county of Marion and State o f Oregon, have invented a new and useful Hop- Drying Box, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to boxes for drying hops, and has for its object to provide animproved box structure whereby the frame thereof is eifectually braced and the lower dried contents thereof are prevented from intermingling with the upper und ried portion during the inverting of the box. It is furthermore designed to have the top and bottom removable sides tightly secured to the box and to facilitate the application and removal thereof.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be herein after more fully described, shown in the accompanyingdrawings,and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacriiicing'any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a box constructed in accordance with the present invention, parts being broken away to show the connection between the removable tcp and the sides of the box. Fig. 2 is a central horizontal sectional View thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail top plan view of one end of the box, showing a modified form of lid-fastening. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the gures of the drawings.

In carrying out the invention there is provided a skeleton box-frame of substantially rectangular shape, the opposite sides and ends of which have intermediate crossed braces 1 and 2, respectively, (shown in Figs. 2 and 3,) and there being an inner marginal flange 3 at the top and bottom open sides of the box. The sides and ends of the frame are covered Serial No. 56,784. (No model.)

with saekcloth, wire-netting, or other suitable foraminons material, so as to secureeffective ventilation. Each upright edge of the box is provided with a doubled tape 4C, which is secured to and embraces the outer side of the edge portion and has its opposite ends projected beyond the respective top and bottom of the box, so as to form the terminal loops or linger-pieces 5 to facilitate the handling of the box, especially in inverting the same.

Y Located midway ofthe top and bottom of the box is a pair of crossed brace-rods 6, each of which has its opposite end passed through the diagonally opposite upright corner-pieces of the box, the outer edges of said pieces being notched, as at 7 in Fig. 2 of the drawings, so as to form seats for the reception of the nuts or heads 8 of the brace-rods. Between the opposite sides and ends of the box are stretched the wire braces 9 and 10, respectively, which are arranged adjacent to the former brace-rods and have their opposite ends connected at the points of crossing of the side braces 1 and the end braces 2as,`

for instance, by embracing said crossed portions-with the extremity of the wire wrapped upon the adjacent intermediate portion thereof. By this arrangement an intermediate brace is formed between all of the parts of the frame, and an intermediate partition is formed which will separate the dried hops in the bottom portion of the box from the nndried hops in the top portion thereof and also prevent the same from intermingling when the box is being inverted.

The removable top and bottom of the box are interchangeable, and each consists .of a rectangular frame 11, that tits within the open side of the box and against theadjacent inner marginal flange 3. One edge of the frame has a pair of plates 12 secured thereto and provided with the respective intermediate projections or studs 13, that are designed to enter corresponding sockets formed in the opposite inner side of the boxframe, said sockets being protected bythe plates 14... In the opposite side of the lidframe and corresponding to the projections there are provided the slots 15, in which are pivotally mounted the handled cams 16, the

handles of which lie at the inner side of the lid, so that the marginal edges of the cams may be projected outwardly through the slots by swinging said handles against the inner sides of the frame. When the cams are projected, they are designed to take into corresponding notches or sockets 17, formed in the adjacent inner face of the box-frame and protected by the slotted plates 18. The inner side of the lid or closure is covered with the same material as is the sides of the box,

and an intermediate inwardly-bowed brace 19 is afterward fitted to the frame of the closure, so as to bear against the material, and thereby stretch the same tightly across the frame.

A modified form of fastening has been shown iu Figs. 4c and 5 in which the cams are substituted by the spring-actuated bolts 20, which also take the place of the studs or projections 13. These bolts are arranged in pairs at opposite sides of the closure, the opposite bolts being connected bya rod, wire, or other suitable connection 21, whereby the bolts may be simultaneously Withdrawn from engagement with the frame of the box, the respective connections 21 also forming handles for lifting the closure from the box. As indicated in Fig. 5, the under outer end portion of each bolt is beveled, so that a slight pressure upon the closure will snap the bolts into the keepers or sockets in the box.

What is claimed is- 1. An invertible hop-drying box, having a plurality of internal braces arranged substantially parallel with the top and bottom of the box, and also forming an intermediate partition for separating the upper and lower contents of the box.

2. An invertible hop-drying box, having longitudinal and transverse crossed braces located intermediate of and substantially parallel with the top and bottom of the box, and forming an intermediate partition for separating the top and bottom contents of the box.

@eases 3. An invertible hop-drying box, having internal diagonal crossed braces disposed substantially parallel with the top and bottom of the box, and forming an intermediate partition for separating the top and bottom contents of the box.

4;. An invertible hop-drying box, having crossed diagonal braces, and crossed longitu dinal and transverse braces located substantially midway and also parallel with the top and bottom of the box, thereby forming an intermediate partition to separate the top and bottom contents of the box.

5. A hop-drying box, having an' open side, the inner marginal edge of which is provided with corresponding sockets or seats formed in opposite sides thereof, a removable closure constructed to fit fiush within the open side of the box, and comprising a skeleton frame, having a foraminous covering applied to the inner side thereof, whereby the inner marginal edge of the frame is accessible from the exterior of the box, one side of the frame having an outwardly-directed stud or projection to take into the adjacent socket in the box, and the opposite side of the frame having a slot corresponding to and registering with the opposite socket of the box, and

a movable locking device mounted in the slot and constructed to be projected ont- Wardly therethrough and into the adjacent socket in the box, the inner end of the locking device being accessible at the inner marginal edge of the closure-frame and forming a handle for the manipulation of the locking device, the latter lying wholly within the outer side of the frame, whereby the latter is free from external projections.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN K. MOUN' Witnesses:

A. S. THoMPsoN, L. P. ALDRICH. 

